COMING SOON: The Witch (2016)

The Witch:

A New-England Folktale

By Dixielord

Horror returns to the Puritan times in the upcoming horror film The Witch, which made its festival debut this year and is set for a theatrical release in 2016. It won the award for best director of an American drama at the Sundance International Film Festival. It currently has a 87 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on fifteen reviews, making it one of the most eagerly awaited films of next year. Besides Sundance, The Witch has also screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and, as I type, is scheduled to screen at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Set in 1630s New England, shortly before the start of the Salem Witch trials, a missing child sets the stage for accusations of witchcraft. As crops fail and more evil portents befall the family, they quickly descend into madness. But real evil lurks just beyond their farm in the wilderness waiting to take advantage of the situation.

The trailer for The Witch looks dark and brooding without giving away too much of the plot. The film appears to be straddling, and perhaps crossing, the line between psychological and supernatural horror. We wont know for sure until 2016, though, when it will debut on Direct TV before a theatrical release.

The Witch stars relative newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy (Vampire Academy) as Thomsin, in a potentially star making role. It also stars Game of Thrones alumni Kate Dickey and Ralph Ineson, and Bathsheba Garnett (Mean Girls) as The Witch. The Witch will be the first feature length film for director Robert Eggers, who has previously directed the shorts The Tell-Tale Heart and Hansel and Gretel.

If you need more of The Witch right now, you can check out their official site. You can even follow Black Phillip, the film's goat and star of the poster, on Twitter. Look for The Witch early in 2016.